Wristwatches Are Set To Make A Comeback In A Different Avatar

If there is one industry which has been indirectly affected by the advent of the smartphone and other high tech gizmos, it is the humble watch industry. Nowadays, people can tell the time off their smartphones and computers, making it unnecessary to wear a wristwatch. I wanted to see how much of the Indian population thinks this way. So I created a short survey about the use of wristwatches in telling the time and the results do substantiate the claim in a way. Only a third of the people who responded always look at their watch to tell the time. Most of the folks never look at their watches or don’t wear a wristwatch. But the wristwatch might make just make a comeback, albeit in a different and improved form, in the guise of a ‘ smartwatch ‘. Tech pundits believe that any real estate which can be used as a screen to complement the smartphone can piggyback on the success of the smartphone. Enter the famous kickstarter project, Pebble , which heralds the beginning of the ‘ smartwatch revolution ‘. It has a high contrast, eInk display and connects to your smartphone via bluetooth. Apps can also be installed on the watch, multiplying its functionality. Multi-Screen Trend Screen size and now multiple screens are the norm of the day. Be it mirroring games via Shield or flexible Youm display, people are getting more and more comfortable with a lot of screens surrounding them and working in tandem. The smartphone can be used as a controller for the television, while web surfing can be picked up from the laptop where it was left off on the smartphone. The smartwatch it touted to be an external extension to the smartphone, displaying relevant information like incoming texts and messages, caller ID information and other information that any app wants to display. All this on a sun readable display makes the deal sweeter. Wearable Computing Google made it huge with its ambitious Project Glass , which has already captured and sustained the interest of the world. This is a major stride in the direction of wearable computing, even now confined to labs and prototypes. While everyone might not be pumped up about wearing a peculiar looking instrument on their faces, a non-invasive smartwatch might just work. Wearing the Google Glass not only involves making a fashion statement, but it also might not be comfortable for people who don’t wear spectacles. It will definitely be a huge hit among geeks and tech professionals, but the general public might be more willing to wear a smartwatch instead. Voice commands and augmented reality can be made to work on a smartwatch too. Voice Integration With the advancement in Machine Learning and Voice Recognition, Apple’s Siri and Google Voice Search are making it easier for humans to interact with the binary loving machines. Typing into a smartphone has given way to speaking and hearing the reply. This utility can easily be expanded to smartwatches. The processing can take place on the smartphone, but the input and output can be the smartwatch. Power The latest Bluetooth 4.0 dramatically reduces the power required to connect an external device. Smartwatches can make use of a special low power mode for weeks if necessary and only wake up in case of some incoming data from the smartphone. The eInk display also consumes very little power compared to conventional displays. The fact that all the processing either happens on the smartphone or the servers that the smartphone is connected to; make the smartwatch can function for a long period of time in between successive charges. Functionality The smartwatch is the best place to display the notifications that the phone receives. Often, you might need to take out your phone from your pocket just because you got a text or an email. You don’t want to take out your phone from your pocket for changing songs when it is safely in your pocket while jogging. The scope of a smartwatch is huge and it can only get bigger and better. Notifications, music controls, reminders, alerts and basic settings should be made accessible from the smartwatch. Additionally, another area where the smartwatch will reap benefits is fitness and apps making use of GPS and accelerometer. Basically, a smartwatch will be an extension of your smartphone, but placed on your wrist for easy access. Once again, everyone will start looking at their watches for telling the time. Players in the market A smartwatch is neither a concept or prototype nor science fiction. Apart from Pebble, there are rumours that the giants of the internet are indeed looking to create their own version of the smartwatch, an extension of the family their other products belong to. Google has already shown signs by patenting a few things related to the smartwatch, while Apple is reportedly working on iOS watch with a 1.5 inch screen. The Sony smartwatch is already available in the market. The age of the smartwatch is fast approaching. This device is going mainstream, with backing from the major players. Even Samsung, HTC, LG might throw their hats into the ring soon. The API will be thrown open to developers, who will only be excited about a new avenue for development. Do you think that the smartwatch will make waves in the market as smartphones have done? What other features would you like your smartwatch to have? Do let us know. Watch Image Courtesy | Softpedia Looking For A Social Media Agency?? – Contact WATConsult – India’s Leading Social Media Agency

If there is one industry which has been indirectly affected by the advent of the smartphone and other high tech gizmos, it is the humble watch industry. Nowadays, people can tell the time off their smartphones and computers, making it unnecessary to wear a wristwatch. I wanted to see how much of the Indian population thinks this way. So I created a short survey about the use of wristwatches in telling the time and the results do substantiate the claim in a way. Only a third of the people who responded always look at their watch to tell the time. Most of the folks never look at their watches or don’t wear a wristwatch. But the wristwatch might make just make a comeback, albeit in a different and improved form, in the guise of a ‘ smartwatch ‘. Tech pundits believe that any real estate which can be used as a screen to complement the smartphone can piggyback on the success of the smartphone. Enter the famous kickstarter project, Pebble , which heralds the beginning of the ‘ smartwatch revolution ‘. It has a high contrast, eInk display and connects to your smartphone via bluetooth. Apps can also be installed on the watch, multiplying its functionality. Multi-Screen Trend Screen size and now multiple screens are the norm of the day. Be it mirroring games via Shield or flexible Youm display, people are getting more and more comfortable with a lot of screens surrounding them and working in tandem. The smartphone can be used as a controller for the television, while web surfing can be picked up from the laptop where it was left off on the smartphone. The smartwatch it touted to be an external extension to the smartphone, displaying relevant information like incoming texts and messages, caller ID information and other information that any app wants to display. All this on a sun readable display makes the deal sweeter. Wearable Computing Google made it huge with its ambitious Project Glass , which has already captured and sustained the interest of the world. This is a major stride in the direction of wearable computing, even now confined to labs and prototypes. While everyone might not be pumped up about wearing a peculiar looking instrument on their faces, a non-invasive smartwatch might just work. Wearing the Google Glass not only involves making a fashion statement, but it also might not be comfortable for people who don’t wear spectacles. It will definitely be a huge hit among geeks and tech professionals, but the general public might be more willing to wear a smartwatch instead. Voice commands and augmented reality can be made to work on a smartwatch too. Voice Integration With the advancement in Machine Learning and Voice Recognition, Apple’s Siri and Google Voice Search are making it easier for humans to interact with the binary loving machines. Typing into a smartphone has given way to speaking and hearing the reply. This utility can easily be expanded to smartwatches. The processing can take place on the smartphone, but the input and output can be the smartwatch. Power The latest Bluetooth 4.0 dramatically reduces the power required to connect an external device. Smartwatches can make use of a special low power mode for weeks if necessary and only wake up in case of some incoming data from the smartphone. The eInk display also consumes very little power compared to conventional displays. The fact that all the processing either happens on the smartphone or the servers that the smartphone is connected to; make the smartwatch can function for a long period of time in between successive charges. Functionality The smartwatch is the best place to display the notifications that the phone receives. Often, you might need to take out your phone from your pocket just because you got a text or an email. You don’t want to take out your phone from your pocket for changing songs when it is safely in your pocket while jogging. The scope of a smartwatch is huge and it can only get bigger and better. Notifications, music controls, reminders, alerts and basic settings should be made accessible from the smartwatch. Additionally, another area where the smartwatch will reap benefits is fitness and apps making use of GPS and accelerometer. Basically, a smartwatch will be an extension of your smartphone, but placed on your wrist for easy access. Once again, everyone will start looking at their watches for telling the time. Players in the market A smartwatch is neither a concept or prototype nor science fiction. Apart from Pebble, there are rumours that the giants of the internet are indeed looking to create their own version of the smartwatch, an extension of the family their other products belong to. Google has already shown signs by patenting a few things related to the smartwatch, while Apple is reportedly working on iOS watch with a 1.5 inch screen. The Sony smartwatch is already available in the market. The age of the smartwatch is fast approaching. This device is going mainstream, with backing from the major players. Even Samsung, HTC, LG might throw their hats into the ring soon. The API will be thrown open to developers, who will only be excited about a new avenue for development. Do you think that the smartwatch will make waves in the market as smartphones have done? What other features would you like your smartwatch to have? Do let us know. Watch Image Courtesy | Softpedia Looking For A Social Media Agency?? – Contact WATConsult – India’s Leading Social Media Agency